Wood Inlay Question

You are on track. Hopefully some of the box makers will jump in. There are a number of books on this subject. I found this with a quick google search. Info on banding is down a ways in the article below.

http://www.inlay.com/marquetry/wood_inlay_part1.html

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

Depending on the thickness of the wood, you could also just have a thin wooden strip that is the same thickness as the wood. I did that on the box I made for my wife. That way the inlay is visible on the top and bottom of the box lid. And no grooves necessary.

-- Eric at http://adventuresinwoodworking.com

Plenty of ways to skin the cat. I usually do what you said…. rout a groove. The depth can vary depending on the thickness of the piece you want to inlay. The key is to make the groove a little shallower than the inlay piece so that when you glue it in place it will be a little proud of the surrounding surface. Then you can sand it flush.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

For me it basically depends on what materials I have to work with. I might do it a glueup I might not.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

Jim, your on the right track. Way easier to make the hole first and fit the inlay to the hole. One side note, which may be belaboring the point – if you are trying to cut a channel for the inlay that is centered on your workpiece, you should flip the piece end for end and route it from both directions, remembering that any adjustment in the fence will double the width of the additional cut. Having a micro-adjustable fence is a blessing here.

If tearout will be a concern, some folks like to use a knife, cutting gauge, or gramil etc. to scribe the shoulders of the cut before routing. In other applications I sometimes define the shoulders of the plow with table saw cuts, and use the router to surface the bottom of the channel and adjust the width slightly as needed. I have also used a strip of clear packing tape over the wood before plowing, to prevent tear-out. And I follow the cut through the cutter with a waste block to prevent blowout at the end of the cut.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

Doug’s suggestions are all excellent. Unfortunately, I’m usually too impatient to follow any of them. :-)

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"